This morning, my daughter is delivering a devotion to FCT (Fellowship of Christian Teens) at her school. She asked me to help her develop something to share for that meeting, and in so doing, found much that I needed to pay attention to in my own life as well.



James is a very practical letter found in the back of the New Testament. These short chapters are filled with nuggets of advice that can help each one of us with day-to-day living. As my daughter and I talked about things she could share for her devotion, a short passage from James 1, verses 19-20, came to mind and we began to look at it.

Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.

This passage breaks itself naturally into three main points, with an application following in the second verse (this is the preacher in me coming out). These three points are three steps that we can take to develop spiritual character in our lives. While they are simple, they aren’t necessarily easy. However, these three things will go a long way to helping each of us to become more of the person that God desires us to be.

Be Quick To Listen

This is perhaps one of the most difficult disciplines to learn. The problem lies in our own self-control. Usually, when we are supposed to be listening, we are busy forming our next thoughts to speak. However, listening will help us be more involved in the conversation, and can enable us to share things of greater value.

Be Slow To Speak

The Old Testament gives us multiple warnings about speaking to hastily: Proverbs 10:14, 15:1, and Ecclesiastes 7:9 come to mind, among others. Silence can keep us from error, from looking foolish, and from other sins of the tongue. The old adage, “It’s better to be silent and thought a fool, than to speak and remove all doubt,” may be what James is thinking here.

Be Slow To Become Angry

Rash and angry words can cause significant relational problems. But when we slow down, listen to others, and think before we speak, we greatly reduce the risk of letting our mouths get us into trouble. As James states later, if we can control our tongues, we have a pretty good handle on mastering self-control, and come as close to perfection as we can get (James 3:2)

The Righteousness Of God

If we desire to be righteous, then we need to work on this type of character development. Losing control of our tempers, here related to our words and ability to listen, does nothing to help build righteousness in our lives. Even though there is such a thing as righteous indignation, anger is rarely appropriate. Vary rarely is anger the right thing. Anger in itself is an emotion, and as such, isn’t necessarily a sin. But also, anger does little to promote spiritual growth, and can often hinder it. Taming our tempers is a key element of spiritual growth.

There is much more that can be said here, but it is sufficient to say that if we strive to listen, think, and respond accordingly, we will see God at work in our lives much more than we would otherwise. Righteousness is what we strive for in our spiritual lives, and when we focus on living in ways that honor God, we will see ourselves growing in areas just like this one.

Of the three actions listed in this passage, which one do you find the easiest? Which one is the hardest? You can leave your thoughts in the comments section below.